JBSA-FORT SAM HOUSTON –
San Antonio Military Medical Center's Simulation Center recently received a rare accreditation by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare in the areas of simulation teaching/education, training and research.
The center is one of 33 centers accredited by the SSH, which oversees the quality of simulation centers around the world.
"This accreditation validates the high quality of the medical simulation training at SAMMC," said Lt. Col. Rhonda Deen, SAMMC Simulation Center medical director.
"It confirms we have an active simulation program covering multiple disciplines, our individual programs use objectives to measure outcomes for improvements, and we use standards by which we evaluate our simulation instructors," Deen added. "All of these factors equal high-quality, realistic medical training that leads to positive impacts in patient safety."
The center is also the second in the Army to receive an accreditation in research.
Madigan Army Medical Center, headquarters for the Central Simulation Committee, was the first to be recognized in 2009.
The research studies at SAMMC include "educating healthcare providers to care for burn patients using high fidelity human patient simulation," "external validation of a virtual reality transurethral resection of the prostate simulator," "assessment of users to control simulated junctional hemorrhage with the combat ready clamp," and "trauma resuscitation evaluation times and correlating human patient simulation training differences."
The center served more than 8,000 people and conducted more than 40,000 simulation hours last year.
"As one of the busiest of the 10 facilities that are supported by the Army Central Simulation Committee, we would not be able to achieve this accomplishment without the efforts and support of two groups," Deen said.
"The first are the dedicated simulation champions from different departments who consistently advocate the benefits of Medical Simulation Training. The second are the SAMMC simulation center staff who worked tirelessly to increase productivity during challenging times and made this goal a reality. These people make my job easy."